Flow meter



Feb. Z5, 1936. G. H. WO1-RING FLOW METER Filed Feb. l5, 1955 ngz.

Inventor: GQHIOTCL H. Wo tring,

bg 9Min@ Patented Feb. 25, 1936 STATES PATEN ori-ics y 2,032,245 FLOW METER `Gaylord H. Wotring, Scotia, N. Y., assigner to General Electric Company, a corporation oi' New York l. Claim.

My invention relates to ow meters andmore particularly to a ow-rate indicating instrument for determining the rate oi oil feed to oil burners.

One object of my invention is to provide a portable measuring device which will indicate accurately and retain its accuracy independent of oil line pressure.

Another object of my invention is to provide an improved zero adjustment for such instruments.

Another robject of my invention is to provide a portable instrument in which the oil remaining in the instrument after each usel is prevented from soiling the dial.

For a better understanding of my invention, together with other and further objects thereof, reference is had to the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, and its scope will be pointed out in the appended claim.

In the accompanying drawing, Fig. i. is a vertical cross-section of an instrument builtin accordance with my invention; Fig. 2 is a top View of the connection between the operating mechansm and the indicating mechanism, and Fig. 3 `is a perspective View of the indicating mechanism.

Referring to Fig. i in detail, the instrument comprises a base d, a casing 5 and a dial ii. The

base is secured to the casing by a collar i, whichV is threaded on to the casing and by means of a ange ii draws the base against the end of the casing 5. A gasket il seals this joint against atmospheric variations. A glass cover iii over the dial t is similarly secured by a anged collar ii whose ange l2 draws the cover against the upper end oi the casing 5 and a gasket i3 seals this end of the casing against atmospheric pressure variations. y

The base l contains an inlet pipe it .connected in a passage i5 which opens into an annular groove it on the inner side of the base. The

, groove it is covered by an oil screen il which separates this groove from an enlarged concentric bore i8 in the base f3. The upper end of the bore it is surrounded by a flange i9 projecting above the base #l and to the surface of this flange one end oi a bellows 2t is rigidly'secured. The

may be so adapted by properly proportioning the area and resiliency of the bellows and the diameter of the metering orifice.

The upper end of the bellows is closed by a disc 2i having therein an outlet opening 22 which in turn is closed by a thin metallic disc 23 having vltherein an orice 2li which is properly proportioned to pass the fluid which is to be measured. Its size determines the back pressure which is built up in the bellows during operation and thereby the maximum quantity of uid which may iiow through the instrument within the deflection range of the pointer. The disc 2i, as stated above, closes the top of the bellows and its movement is transmitted to a pointer 25 through linkage mechanism shown in Fig. 3.

The disc 2i is provided with a shaft or pushrod 2t projecting upwardly from the center oi the disc through a partition 2i in the casing 5. It is provided at its upper end with a slot Zit and a pin 29 projecting through holes in the shaft at right angles to the slot, This pin 2Q is placed a predetermined distance above the partition 2l? when the disc 2i is in its normal position. When the bellows collapses the predetermined amount which is considered safe, the pin engages the partition and prevents any further movement in that direction. In the slot 29 rests a crank 3o which is pivoted in the verticalwalls 3i and 32 of a channel-shaped supporting membei' The crank 3@ is provided with a vertical arm 3d.. A link attached to the upper end oi this arm 35i is attached to gear segment 35 pivoted on pin Si?. The connection between the link 35 and the gear segment 36 is made adjustable by providing an arcuate slot 3ft" in the gear segment at any point of which the linkf35 may be fastened. The point at which the link 35 is fastened to the gear segment determines the full scale movement oi the pointer 25. The gear segment 36 engages a pinion :it mounted on the pointer shaft 39. When the crank il@ is moved upwardly the link 35 is moved against the tension of a spring ill attached to the link 35 and to an ear li on the support 33. The shaft 35 is moved against the tension of a helical spring t2. The pivot pin Si" and pointer shaft 39' are pivoted on a bearing frame member i3 and in another bearing frame member et. These frame members are spaced from eachother by spacing screws i5 and are attached to the support 33 by screws lit. The dial 6 is supported above member t3 by spacing screws iii. A

In instruments of this type it is diflicult to obtain-a return of the pointer to a predetermined zero position. This is due to the fact that when the load on the bellows approaches zero there is very little positive force tending to return the disc 2l to its original position. I overcome this difficulty by providing two opposing springs 48 and 49 which are under a substantial initial pressure when the disc 2i is in its normal zero position. The spring d8 is mounted between the disc 2i and the partition 2li. The spring 49 is mounted inside of the bell'ows 20 betweenthe disc 2l and an adjustable block 50. The block 5B is a circular block mounted in the bore I6. It may be raised or lowered by a screw 5I, the head 52 of which projects into a hole inthe base 4. This hole is normally sealed by a screw 53 and a gasket 54. By removing this screw the block 56 may be adjusted from outside of the casing by simply turning the head 52. The block is prevented from turning by a. pin 55, projecting into a slot 55 milled into the block between its edge and a hole 5l through which oil flows from the bore I8 into the bellows 20.

Before operation the block 5t is raised about half ofl its travel. The initial length of the springs ,t8 and 49 is such that they are both under a substantial compression in any position of the block 50 after they are assembled in the instrument. With that arrangement the two springs act upon the disc for its full range of operation and there is a continuous positive force tending to return the disc 2| to its normal position. After the springs are adjusted as above l explained the pointer is set to the zero point decreasing the compression of the springs.

on the dial 6. If the pointer should vary from this position it can be returned byincreasing or It should be noted here that when the base 50 is moved the stress inthe two springs remains equally distributed and consequently the disc 2l moves approximately one-half the distance the base moves. This arrangement, therefore, provides a convenient adjustment and the adjustments so made do not alter the relationship of the springs and the bellows.

In operation the oil, or other fluid, enters the instrument through the pipe I4, passage I5, groove I6, screen Il, bore I8 and through hole 51 in block Suinto the bellows 20. The orice 24 in the disc 23 is considerably smaller than the inlet passages just enumerated and a difference in pressure is, therefore, produced in the bellows 20. This pressure difference causes the disc 2| to' move from'its normal position and raise the shaft or push rod 26 a distance which is in direct proportion to this pressure. 'I'he movement flows into the lower compartment of the casing 5 flows out through a pipe 58.

, strument is laid on its side ormeven upside down In the use of portable instruments of the typedescribed, considerable diiculty is encountered in attempting to keep the oil off the instrument dial and outside of the indicator compartment. During operation the oil is pumped through the 5 instrument 'by placing `a. suction pump on the outlet pipe. There is, therefore, no pressure built up in the lower compartment to force the oil upconcentric with the rod 26. 'Ihis sleeve extends l5 toward the disc 2| and its end limits the upward movement of the disc 2I. The oil Aleft in the instrument after use is only that which remains in the casing below the outlet pipe 58. If the inthis oil cannot flow into the indicator compartment since it will never reach the end of the sleeve 59. During operation, on the other hand, there is no opportunity for the oil to splash upwardly since the clearance between the shaft 26 and sleeve 59 is made only large enough to prevent any friction between the two members. In the present model of my instrument I use a separate instrument dial 6. It is, of course, DOS- sible to place the markings gn the glass enclosure I0 ofA the casing. It is possible to place the markings on the outside of this glass dial and thereby avoid any diiliculties in reading the dial should it become soiled irrespective of all the precautions taken.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is:-

In a ow meter, the combination of a casing provided with a partitiondividing said casing into two chambers, an indicating mechanism in one of said chambers, an expansible walled casing in the second of said chambers, an outlet opening in said second chamber, an inlet opening in said expansible walled casing, said expansible walled casing having one end rigidly attached to the wallof said second chamber and having the other end provided with an orifice, said other end being movable inresponse to pressure differences built up by fluid flowing zbetween said inlet and outlet openings throughsaid orice, means for transmitting the movement of said movable end to' vsaid indicating mechanism. means for adjusting the normal position of said movable end including a pair of springs mounted in said second chamber and said expansible walled casing, respectively, arranged to oppositely affect a movement of said end, means for adjusting said springs including a movable base for the spring in said expansible walled casing andv means operable through the wall of said chamber to move said-base whereby the indieating mechanism may be set to its zero position.

GAYLORD H. woTRING. a5 

